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Thursday, July 26, 2012

SCWC: World Building for Speculative/Paranormal Fiction

-How deviant from reality is this going to be? The more different it is, the more you will have to explain. Obliterating the usual “rules” can be fascinating but hard to follow

-How similar to us is an alien culture?

-Human systems are founded on religious beliefs (magic, gods, goddesses, God). What role does religion play in the fictional society? How is moral development affected? What is the foundation of the society? How do ideologies affect how they react to or treat other people?

-Map-making can be helpful in creating a new world (town, city, country). Spatial understanding of where people are to the natural world.

-Different/skewed versions of well-known stories/fairy tales

-Logic flaws make unhappy readers (ex: how does a sparkly vampire impregnate a girl if he doesn’t even have blood flow to get it up).

-“It works, because…” Make it believable. Explain why it’s possible.

-Nature is full of bizarre, fascinating things—good source for inspiration/ideas

-Environment is a huge determinant of people’s behavior (ex: more crime during heat, less crime/violence when women and children are present).